US EditionThe new rules of airline loyalty programs
- On May 9, 2025, NerdWallet published an article detailing changes in airline loyalty programs in the United States and their evolving complexity.
- Airline loyalty programs have become major revenue sources as airlines issue points out of nothing and sell them to banks with co-branded credit cards, affecting point values.
- Members earn points redeemable for flights and perks, but airlines can raise required miles, reduce point values, and credit card companies take a cut per transaction.
- For instance, redeeming 10,000 miles could cover a $100 ticket , whereas a $400 ticket might require 20,000 miles, effectively doubling the value per mile to 2 cents, illustrating how the worth of miles varies.
- The programs reward big spenders but miles generally devalue, so strategic flyers benefit from flexible travel credit cards and regular use to avoid losing rewards’ value.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The Virginian Pilot
The new rules of airline loyalty programs
By Meghan Coyle, NerdWallet The free flights and elite status perks offered by airline loyalty programs are ultimately designed to do one thing: Get you to spend more money with the airline. But in the past few years, these programs have gotten a lot more complicated and less rewarding. Gone are the days of simply earning miles or elite status based on how far or how often you fly. Today, the “Big Four” U.S. airlines — American Airlines, Southwe…
American Airlines reduces maximum award hold time to 24 hours
American AAdvantage isn’t known as the most generous frequent flyer program out there, but one of its perks has been the ability to put awards on hold for multiple days. Until recently, you could place a five-day hold on awards for flights that were a minimum of 14 days pre-departure. For flights closer than 14 days from departure, you could only place a one-day hold. This allowed folks to effectively reserve the seat without actually having to …
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